Salty Kisses
by Saphira Veera
Summary: It's the summer hols, and Rikuo and his friends decide to go to the beach for a change. Kana makes a move and so does Shima. What happens when Tsurara finds out Rikuo's answer to Kana's confession? Read to find out as something drags Tsurara under the waves... Rikuo x Tsurara oneshot fic. Fluffy? R&R!


**A/N: Hi there! This is my first ever Rikuo x Tsurara fic, and I wrote this in like three hours. Forgive me if it seems to be lacking in anything since I am extremely tired and sleepy. But this idea seems to be stuck in my head and I simply have to paint it. **

**I'm not a newbie however, I've been writing K-ON fics about a year ago, and you're more than welcome to read them. I ship this pairing A HELL LOT. You know in episode 15, where Tsurara gets hit by Tsuchi-gumo and then fell back on Rikuo's chest and all that mumbling about protecting him? Then she faints? Then Rikuo gets berserk because of that? YUP. MY FAVOURITE SCENE.**

**Okay, I'll stop. Enjoy!**

_Salty Kisses_

"Uwaa, the skies are so blue!" Natsumi Torii cried out, her eyes sparkling, already imagining the cool waves dancing across her skin.

The summer holidays had begun, and the Kiyojuji Paranormal Investigation Squad were out…on investigation? Nope, definitely vacation. After a lot of begging and hysterical cries from both girls, Torii and Maki, Kiyotsugu had finally relented and agreed to go on vacation by the seaside. It was a change of view. The other three usual members were also present. Jiro Shima, Kana Ienaga and of course, our dear Rikuo Nura.

"This is a thousand times better than where Kiyotsugu took us to so far," squealed Maki, breathing in the salty air scent and feeling the warm sand beneath her feet.

Kiyotsugu's shoulders sagged, and his friends tried to cheer him up as Maki and Torii continued down the beach to the place where they would be staying.

"It's okay Kiyotsugu. After all, we deserve some holiday after that incident in Kyoto right?" smiled Kana, calming him down.

"Yes, we do," joined Rikuo, enjoying the wind on his face. Kana smiled secretly to herself. _I finally got Rikuo-kun to join us._

It was true. Rikuo had needed some begging as well, and in the end he had agreed to go with them, but Oikawa Tsurara had butted in, saying that if Rikuo is going, and so will she. Though annoyed, Kana felt glad that at least Rikuo is with them.

Maki and Torii ran down the beach in their bikinis, closely followed by Shima and Kiyotsugu in their bikinis…No, just kidding. In their swimming pants. Kana turned to Rikuo. "Come on Rikuo-kun, Oikawa-sa-" she stopped abruptly. "Where's Oikawa-san?"

Rikuo laughed. "She's still changing. I don't think she likes the beach so much. Let's go first." Both went running down the beach, splashing in the waves. Maki and Shima were engaged in the ball-throwing, screaming and laughing at the same time.

"Oi, Rikuo, catch!"

The ball came sailing and hit Rikuo on the face.

"Oops, sorry!" came the answer, Maki wading in to take the ball.

"Are you alright, Rikuo-kun?" asked Kana.

"I dropped my glasses!"

"Here," said a cool voice from behind, swinging Rikuo's spectacles in front of him. "Really, I leave you for a bit and you've already lost your glasses, Rikuo-sama!"

"Thanks, Tsura-" started Rikuo as he took the glasses, stopped in his speech as his eyes focused on the Yuki-Onna.

She was dressed in a soft white swimsuit, comfortably hugging her curves. Her porcelain white skin sparkled in the blaring sunlight and heat. She still had her scarf on, which would be rather odd, but if she had not it on, her Fear would accidentally freeze at least a quarter of the ocean. She had her hair tied back in a pony tail, which made a total difference to her face. Shima's eyes sparkled at the sight of her.

"You look very cute Tsurara-chan," he blurted out before covering his mouth, blushing fiercely.

"T-Thank you, Jiro-san," stuttered Tsurara, embarrassed at the outburst from Shima.

"But yeah you definitely look cute, Tsurara!" exclaimed Maki, taking Tsurara by the hand and dragging her further into the waves. "Why are you wearing your scarf?"

Tsurara laughed weakly as she moved further, trying to explain her reason without arousing suspicion.

Rikuo's eyes followed her down, closely watched by Kana who sighed exasperatedly.

THAT NIGHT

It was near midnight. The boys were in their respective rooms, and the girls in theirs. Well, except for Kana.

Torii stretched herself on her futon, yawning loudly. "Uwah, what a great time we had," she said sleepily, her eyes nevertheless still sparkling due to today's excitement.

"Definitely!" agreed Maki, stretching on the futon beside her best friend. Tsurara sat next to them.

"I was surprised Kiyotsugu-san enjoyed the whole thing," commented Tsurara as she tidied her futon and sat down properly.

"I think he was still traumatized by the Kyoto incident. I myself am still shaken up," hooted Maki.

"Me too. So many yokais lurking around. I'm so glad that for once, we're out of touch from them," said Torii. Tsurara snorted to herself softly. _If only you knew._

Maki was just starting to agree when the door was knocked. Tsurara came in, smiling sheepishly to herself.

"Ah, Ienaga-san! Where have you been?" asked Tsurara surprised.

"N-Nowhere," Kana stammered and joined them on their futons.

Maki smiled smugly and clasped a hand around Kana's shoulders, grinning amusingly. "I know what you did! You went to check up on Rikuo, didn't you?"

Tsurara looked up, wishing to see Kana's reaction. As she expected, Kana's face blushed.

"No, w-who said? Rikuo-kun's in his room silly!" stuttered Kana.

"Then where did you, Ienaga-san?" Tsurara piped up.

"Just a little walk!" Kana defended herself.

"A little walk…to love, isn't it?" teased Torii.

"No! Stop it you two!" They ended up laughing, throwing each other pillows. Suddenly Maki stopped and turned to Tsurara who was watching them fight with pillows and said, "Hey, you live in his house, right, Tsurara?"

"Eh? H-Hai," she said, stunned at her question.

"Then you must be nearest to him! Do Kana a favour, tell her if he's cute in his pyjamas." Maki taunted with a teasing tone in her voice, laughing at both their red faces.

"Come now, I'm just joking," laughed Maki, raising her hands. Tsurara and Kana looked at each other, understood, grabbed the pillows and started flinging them at Maki. There came a shout and the pillow fight ensued until both parties were out of breath, laughing.

"Come on, now, let's sleep," yawned Torii. "I'm dead tired." She grabbed one of the lying pillows and patted it on her futon.

Kana and Maki followed suit as Tsurara stood up. "Hold on, I forgot something in the bathroom. I'm just going to go take it."

"Are you okay going alone, Tsurara-san?" asked Torii, looking at her.

"I'm fine. Just a quick sprint." She left.

When Tsurara came back, she paused before entering, about to knock on the door when she heard them whispering.

"Did it work, Kana?" said the muffled voice of Torii.

"What worked?" whispered Kana.

"You know, the thing."

"I-I don't know," whispered back Kana, her voice subtle and soft. Tsurara tensed and she could imagine the blush spreading on her face right now. _I wonder what they're talking about._

"Come on, Kana. Surely stating a confession shouldn't be this hard."

_C-Confession? Are they talking about Ienaga-san and Rikuo-sama? _thought Tsurara.

"What did he say?" asked Maki.

"Yeah, what's his reaction?" piped up Torii.

"Sssh! You'll wake up everything in the house!"

"You mean everyone."

"Y-Yes, whatever."

"Well, what did he say?"

"H-He seemed hesitant at first, but – "

"He seemed pleased, didn't he? Oh I'm so happy for you Kana!"

"Torii, shush! Well, he did smile… A little."

"Woot! So he accepted you?"

"I-I don't know. When I asked, his attitude seemed to change. He relaxed and it was like… He was smiling smugly at me."

"Does that mean - ?"

"I honestly don't know. He just said… Well…"

"Said what? Dammit Kana, you're making this longer than it's supposed to be."

"Alright, alright. He said, 'I like you too.' "

There came soft squeals from the other girls which resulted another round shushing for them to be quiet again. Conversation started again, but Tsurara was too submerged in her own thoughts to listen to them.

Tsurara's eyes widened. She took a step backwards. Her heart was hammering in her ribs, and she clutched at her scarf, twisting it as she leaned against the wooden wall.

_Rikuo-sama…likes Kana too. _

_Well, there was no doubting that. She was his childhood friend. A human friend. And a pretty one at that. What is she compared to I? At least they are in equal lines, unlike I, who forever remains his servant, loyal to the death. But… No matter how loyal… I may never step over the line_. Without her knowing, tears had fell down her cheeks. She made no attempt to wipe it off as the cold crystal tears dripped down.

_What an imagination I have. Hoping equality with the master whom I love… _She stood properly and walked down the hall. She left the house and ran down the beach, soft sand tickling her feet beneath. The night was dark. There was little light, just lights coming from the cars that came from behind her. Otherwise, she was completely engulfed by the darkness.

The waves came crashing on her feet. She walked across the beach, looking in the dark in front of her, not caring whether her feet had struck a rock or a seashell of some kind. She continued walking, trying to let in as much sound as she can, drowning the thoughts in her head.

What had she been thinking? To think that all of this was possible? To think that, she might be different, unlike her mother, Setsura, who also fell in love with the deceased Nurarihyon who ended up with a human? To think that her master might also be…in love with her? Tears flowed faster than ever as she increased her pace.

_How can he even like me? I love him and he loves me, but he did not entrust his heart with me. No. How can he? To think that one day, the plant might grow flowers, but how can it when it bears no seeds from the start? _

She bumped into a huge rock in front of her, and without realizing it, began climbing on it. She had on a skirt, so it was easy to climb. The winds grew ever stronger, threatening to push her down, but she did not care. All of her thoughts were dizzying her.

_Rikuo-sama… _

A noise came from below her. She stopped, her heart yammering in her ribs.

"Tsurara?"

_Rikuo-sama? No. It can't be._

Almost hoping it was someone she hoped for, Tsurara looked down and spotted Shima grinning sheepishly at her.

Hastily, she wiped off her tears and smiled back down, hoping her smile was real enough. "Jiro-san!"

"Can I come up there?"

"S-Sure," she stammered, and moved away a little to make room for Shima. He climbed up and joined her on the rock, overseeing the oceans and listening to the waves crashing on the rocks below.

"How did you know I was here, Jiro-san?" asked Tsurara.

"I was in the bathroom and when I opened the door, I saw you opened the door and left the house, Tsurara."

Something nagged at Tsurara's mind, but she cannot seem to remember it.

"Souka."

"Were you crying?"

"N-No. I – I…" She sniffed and smiled as wide as possible. _I cannot let down Master. After all, I am his loyal servant. It won't do if I am to stay like this. _"I'm fine. I just came for a breath of air. It was rather stuffy inside."

"Oh. Well, if it's anything, I'm here for you, you know, Tsurara. I'm always here." She turned and looked at him. He smiled kindly at her.

"I like you, Tsurara," he said softly.

"J-Jiro-san," stuttered Tsurara, astounded by the sudden outburst. "I –"

"Will you be my girlfriend?" asked Shima, his face suddenly serious. His yellow hair flapped like crazy in the winds.

"Jiro-san," whispered Tsurara, barely inaudible. "I…" She closed her eyes. She didn't want it to end like this. She had never fancied Shima, although she thought he was a very kind boy and meant no harm towards her. Should she…? But she only ever loved her master. And her master only. But what Kana had said had changed everything. Rikuo only see her as a precious friend, but nothing more than that. No matter how much Tsurara pushes and motivates the flower to bloom, it will not do. Long before it, the plant will wither and die like the attempts done by her own mother to attract Nurarihyon's love and attention.

She needed something to pull her out of her own thoughts. She turned towards Shima and took a deep breath, her eyes still closed.

"I… I'll do it. I accept, Jiro-san," she said and slowly opened her eyes. The cold grip of hands closed over her throat. Stricken, she focused on Shima's face. But he was not there. Where there used to be Shima, there was a disgusting face in place. A yokai. Something clicked in place.

_Tsurara-chan! Jiro-san always calls me that! _

Panicked, she tried to summon a breath to freeze her opponent, but the iro grip tightened around her throat and she choked.

"So easy to catch the Lady Snow," hissed the yokai. A snake tongue flickered out, tasting the air. Tsurara looked down and saw that the yokai had a tail, not unlike those of a mermaid.

"Come, my darling," hissed the yokai, smiling threateningly at her. "You will make a great snack for my Queen."

Tsurara tugged at the hands tightening around her throat, trying to pry it off her, but it was in vain. The surface of the hand was slippery and… full of scales.

The yokai hissed back at herand slithered down the rock, bringing Tsurara with him. She hit the rocks hard, and blood trickled down her head. The repulsive creature dragged Tsurara with it under the waves. Tsurara struggled and tried to kick the yokai but the currents seemed to be pulling her in. They went deeper and the last thing she saw was the stars twinkling helplessly before her in the skies above, witnessing her quietly.

_Rikou-sama…_

There came a blubber, and bubbles came from beneath. A glint of a sword. But she wasn't sure. Her breath was restricted enough already. The grip on her throat weakened and finally let go. She took a deep breath and choked as the water filled her lungs. Struggling to swim in the waters, she felt someone carrying… No, pulling her upwards, towards the surface. Panicked and her thoughts in disarray, she tried freezing the waters around her, but the figured stopped her as if knowing what she was about to do.

Everything was dark. They broke the surface. All she heard was the waves crashing on the rocks and the sound of someone's ragged breathing. She was lied down on the sand and she coughed out water, striving to take lungfuls of air. Her lungs hurt terribly, raging as if on fire. She pulled at her throat, trying to make the pain stop, crying and whimpering as she did so.

She felt hands pushing at her chest which resulted her into throwing up the last remains of seawater.

"It's okay, it's okay," she heard the murmuring voice, trying to calm her down. She was not shivering, the cold was her friend, and the pain subsided. Opening her eyes, she focused on the figure before her.

Her heart nearly stopped. The familiar face crouched above her, his hands on both sides of her. His kimono was opened and she could see his chest, heaving in air.

"R-Ri…" she croaked before coughing again.

He carried her away from the waters and placed her not far from the house, on the soft sands. It was dark, but the moon took that moment to come out of the clouds. It shined high above, casting light upon both of them. She sat up and pulled away from Rikuo.

"Tsurara… Are you okay?" he asked softly.

She tried not to look at his body as she looked his face.

_Oh kami, he is so handsome. _

"Rikuo-sama…"

"What the hell were you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Rikuo-sama… I'm supposed to protect you, but – "

"Tsurara!" shouted Rikuo, loud enough to stop her, but soft enough to be drowned in the crashing waves.

"Don't be stupid," he said softly.

The tears came again, and Tsurara shook her head. "I'm sorry, Rikuo-sama. I really am." Her body shook violently.

Strong arms enveloped her in a hug, and Tsurara's yellow eyes widened.

"Rikuo-sama…"

"Don't do that ever again."

"Rikuo-sama… I love you."

There was no saying it. She had said it. She did not care now how he felt towards her. This was her moment and she deserved it at least that much. At least tell him her feelings before he became someone else's.

Rikuo pulled away and stared at her, searching her face. She closed her eyes, bracing for everything that might happen.

Instead. There were the muffled words, "…too."

And warm, salty lips crashed into her cold lips, startling her. _This-This is wrong. You said you liked Kana, but.. But why? _ They stayed in that position for seconds before they pulled away, heaving for air.

"I-I thought you…"

The Night Rikuo smirked at her, seemingly to enjoy her reaction. "I didn't say that."

"What do you mean, R-Rikuo-sama?"

"I like her, but I love you, Tsurara."

Tsurara's eyes widened, her heart hammering in her ribs. _Did she hear him right? This…_

He smirked again as if he can hear her thoughts. "You heard that right, Yuki-Onna."

Then he leaned in to close the space between them.

_The bud sprung free._

_The voices have sung._

_Love had been there._

"_I will grow."_

"_For you."_

**Well? WHAT DID YOU THINK? I know it sucks. I have not written for months, I was on major hiatus since I've started Year 10. It was so awful, teachers ordering us about and homework lurking in every corner... *shivering* So, I implore you, do click that little button 'review' there, and tell me what you think!**

**See you soon!**

**xoxo, _SV_**


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